By Jacqueline Vaughn
Can a one-eyed dog from Gallup, New Mexico find happiness in Cottonwood, Arizona?
Ruth and Jeff Gass respond with a resounding YES based on their experience with the dog they adopted from the Prescott-based rescue group, United Animal Friends, in February 2019.
Their dog, Spanky, had passed in 2018, and after six months, the couple decided that it was time for another canine in their household. They did not have children and missed having a dog at home.
They decided to check out a dog named Lady who they had seen on the Internet. They then met her in person at an adoption event at the Prescott Petco store, where they also talked with Lady’s foster mom, Sumiko. That was all it took to finalize their decision to adopt the Lady. They had no hesitation about adopting a dog with one eye.
Lady’s story made them fall in love with her, they say. She had been picked up on December 21, 2018 by a Gallup/McKinley County Animal Control officer on the Navajo Nation adjoining Gallup. Sadly, this part of New Mexico is often a dumping ground for unwanted dogs and their puppies.
This rez dog had two puppies with her, and she was missing an eye. One puppy was adopted immediately, and United Animal Friends rescued the other puppy and Lady as part of the rescue partnership the group has with the Gallup shelter. Once with the rescue, she was spayed and had surgery to close her injured left eye.
“We named her Sandy because she looked like Little Orphan Annie’s dog, and she, too, had a hard knock life. We were determined to give her a happy life after her hard luck start. We knew that dogs, unlike humans, never feel sorry for themselves and adapt much better to any infirmities,” they say. The Cottonwood couple brought her home and began to make her a part of their lives.
Like many new adoptees, at first Sandy was shy when meeting new people, and also nervous about sudden movements or noises. The Gass family says that she loved her toys, but didn’t like to have things thrown.
She loved to walk at the lake near their home, but did not like fishing poles or water. They say that she was quirky about walking on a leash if she perceived a threat of some kind, and she could jump in the opposite direction, throwing the dog walker off balance.
Now, Sandy has a newfound sense of confidence and is much calmer. They describe her as a cuddler who enjoys car rides and runs to the door to greet a visitor. “People say that she was lucky that we adopted her. We feel that WE are the lucky ones. She is an indispensable companion and a one-of-a-kind one-eyed dog.”
